CHAPTER 541: CHAPTER 488: NATION DESTROYER GALLIOT?

On the easternmost side of the Balboa Isthmus in the New Continent, lies Dios Port, the traditional departure point of the Treasure Fleet transporting gold and silver over the years.

The time has reached early winter in November. Although the tropical climate of the Golden Sea is not much affected, the Treasure Fleet, which should have set sail in the fall, has been stuck in the port until now.

All because the Kingdom lost a large number of warships this year.

In February, one hundred and twenty ships laden with gold, silver, gemstones, tobacco, and ink trees... were lost in the mouth of the wild Sea God’s Son, the "Great Vortex" Charybdis; in October, another part of the Kingdom’s most elite Invincible Fleet, totaling forty formidable battleships, was annihilated in a battle with the Tulip on the Southern Continent.

Although for Hilus, these losses are not enough to pose a significant threat to its status as the first military power.

However, navy warships, especially battleships above Level 4, have long construction periods and are costly, and the supply of aged oak, crucial as raw material, is also limited within a certain timeframe.

So, at least for several years, newly launched ships cannot compensate for the existing losses, not to mention the normal wear and tear of ships withdrawn from service due to aging.

Of course, given Hilus’s current governance situation, it’s unclear how much of this is actual scrapping and how much has been embezzled or sold underhandedly, something even the Navy Marshal can’t make clear.

At this moment in Dios Port, a group of worried merchant ship owners are gathered in a little tavern drowning their sorrows.

"Sigh, we’ve been waiting for two months already, and the first snow in the north is about to fall. When do you think we’ll finally set sail? We can wait, but the goods can’t."

"Yeah, any longer and my tobacco leaves will rot in the hold. The port warehouse rental is outrageously expensive, even pricier than staying at a luxury hotel, damn it, a bunch of vampires!"

"..."

As they lamented together, their biggest concern now was when they could set sail.

This year, Hilus seems particularly unlucky. Not only are the original naval base routes cut off by the "Eye of the Storm," but stepping out invites pirates specifically targeting Hilus Merchant Ships.

Big merchants can withstand the risks better, but they can’t.

To successfully transport goods back home for big profits, many hoped to travel with the Great Fleet. But the departure time kept being postponed, leaving them anxious.

The tavern owner, familiar with this bunch constantly whining over their misfortune, came over to comfort them:

"Everyone, didn’t the Navy Headquarters already notify?

In three more days, once General Adonis arrives with the Guard Commander and the reinforcements escort group, the Great Treasure Fleet will set out.

Rest assured, the Kingdom’s deterrence is still intact; no matter how bold the pirates are, they won’t dare to provoke the Kingdom Navy."

The faces of a few merchants eased slightly:

"Hope this time there won’t be any more delays. It’s all the damned pirates, damned Eye of the Storm, damned Tulip!"

"Exactly! Why did Tulip resist when facing the Invincible Fleet? Unacceptable!"

"That’s an affront to every Hilus citizen. They must pay the price..."

As they spoke, they grew more indignant as if trying to vent all their pent-up frustration in drunkenness. Pirates, Black Sea Goddess, the victorious Tulip... all were blamed.

Suddenly.

Ding! Ding! Ding!...

The shrill ringing of alarm bells resounded over the city.

The sound reached the tavern, echoing in their ears and reverberating in their hearts.

But they wore dazed expressions, unable to comprehend what was happening. They were familiar with the alarm bells, with each person’s ship equipped with them.

But what was this place?

This was, after all, Dios Port, one of the most important colonial cities of the Hilus Kingdom in the Golden Sea!

"Hehehe, I drank too much, an illusion, it must be an illusion."

"Did you also hallucinate just now? What a coincidence, so did I."

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

But the sound of cannon fire quickly shattered their ostrich-like mindset.

The sea outside Dios Port was swarming with Black Sail Pirate Ships bearing various pirate emblems, swarming forward like a towering dark cloud.

This was truly Black Cloud Pressing the City!

An officer with the rank of Major General stationed on the port fortress, looked at the pirate alliance that had not been forewarned, his face dark.

"Since when has Hilus fallen to the point where even pirates can attack us? And on such a scale, have more than half the pirates of the Golden Sea come here? Why?!"

The only consolation for him was that the pirate ships hadn’t hoisted blood flags, indicating they didn’t intend to conduct a massacre...

Whew—

Facing the sea breeze that had begun to stir.

Tall and athletic, Anita stood casually at the bow of the heavy cruiser "Venus," also the flagship of the pirate alliance, with her Dragon-slaying Sword nearly as tall as herself casually in hand.

She wore a simple white blouse with floral sleeves, a wide "activated beast hide" belt accentuating her perfect waist and hip curves, and form-fitting brown trousers outlining explosively toned long legs.

With the high-quality "activated beast hide" given by Aiven, Anita had long abandoned ordinary leather armor that couldn’t even compare to her skin. Now dressed in casual clothes, she bore an air of disdain for everything.

Her emerald hair was pinned up with a hairpin, leaving only a strand of dragon-like bangs upon her forehead, adding a touch of feminine tenderness within the sharp aura of a female Great Knight and pirate.